Bladder outlet obstruction is a urological disorder. In males, this urological disorder can be caused by an enlarged prostate that constricts the prostatic urethra. Such disorders include, for example, benign prostatic hyperplasia or prostatic carcinoma. The prostatic urethra is a section of the urethra that passes through the prostate. Bladder outlet obstruction is associated with a plurality of undesirable symptoms such as difficulties in urination, strongly reduced capacity to urinate, an increased desire to urinate, or the complete inability to urinate which may lead to severe renal disorders.
To eliminate these symptoms, medical devices that attempt to maintain an open passageway through the prostatic urethra have been developed. One of the medical devices developed for this purpose is a Foley catheter. The Foley catheter is a tube that extends from the patient's bladder to a collection bag located outside of the patient's body. The Foley catheter provides constant drainage, but it does not allow the patient to control his voiding function.
Some indwelling prostatic stents seek to allow the patient to control their voiding function while also retaining the prostatic urethra open. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,209 describes a prosthesis that contains two tubular elements that are intended to be located on either side of the patient's external sphincter, and a connector that is intended to be held in the orifice of the external sphincter.
Following conclusion of the treatment of the urological disorder (for example, when patency of the urethra is restored), a medical professional is generally required to remove an indwelling prostatic stent either transurethreally or endoscopically. A partially absorbable stent which can be implanted following a surgical procedure and be easily removed by the patient would obviate the need for a patient to return to the doctor for removal of the stent.